


Adventures in Black Spire Outpost

by saltylikecrait



Series: The Time Between [10]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Adventure, Animals, Canon-related Jokes, Children, Drinking, F/M, Fluff, Food, Galaxy's Edge Theme Park, Humor, Inspired by Disneyland, Lightsabers, Long Shot, Spies & Secret Agents
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-30
Updated: 2019-08-30
Packaged: 2020-07-27 17:24:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 14,110
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20049772
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/saltylikecrait/pseuds/saltylikecrait
Summary: When General Organa sends them to Batuu to get assistance from Hondo Ohnaka, Finn and Rey hope to have a nice, relaxing time enjoying the outpost as tourists. As luck has it, nothing goes the way they planned. Long-shot. Inspired by Galaxy's Edge at Disneyland.





	Adventures in Black Spire Outpost

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Finnrey Friday!

**I.**

“Hello, hello, my friends!” greeted the cheerful Weequay with open arms as Finn and Rey exited down the ramp of the _Millennium Falcon._ They were taken aback by how friendly and loud he was at first, not used to being around someone so boisterous. Finn made a quick glance around the hangar to make sure no one was watching, a force of habit when you had been on the run from the First Order for over three standard months.

“Are you Hondo?” he asked. 

The Weequay laughed. “Yes, and welcome to Ohnaka Transport Solutions!” He raised his arms up as if he were presenting a state-of-the-art naval base and not a junky warehouse on the Outer Rim world of Batuu. 

In desperate need of help, General Organa reached out to an old buddy of Han’s, a space pirate with a colorful history. “That Hondo Ohnaka survives _everything,”_ she had breathed out, exasperated, when she found him again. “I guess I shouldn’t be surprised if he outlives all of us.”

Rey and Finn weren’t sure how long the lifespan of Weequays were, but Leia implied that he could remember the time before the Empire, even the time before the Clone Wars. If that were true, then he really did survive everything.

After a quick introduction, Hondo showed them around the hangar. There wasn’t much to see, though a couple of scrap parts from a century-old starfighter briefly piqued Rey’s curiosity. Mainly, the hangar was a mess and whoever made up Hondo's help were not cleaning up after themselves. There was still a sabacc game left out on crate, overturned to be used as a table.

Hondo looked at the _Falcon_ with longing. “Such a fine freighter,” he mused as he went over to touch the hull with affection.

“General Organa told us you needed to borrow her for a while,” Rey mentioned. “But she didn’t say what for.”

With a wide grin, Hondo nodded his head enthusiastically. “Today my friends, I am offering you the opportunity of a lifetime.” It sounded like the start of a sales pitch, which wasn’t how either the pair thought this would go. “I have a crew that will transport my merchandise across the galaxy and the _Millennium Falcon_ is the perfect ship for the job!”

Rey thought she understood. “You mean us?” She didn’t agree to anything previously, but she supposed if General Organa had offered up their help, they had to. They were told that Hondo would do supply runs for them if he could have occasional use of the Corellian freighter. It seemed fair enough, if Hondo just wanted to use it for his business.

“No, no,” Hondo laughed. “I have my own crew. No, you can just… relax here for the day while my crew is out. It won’t be long.”

Finally coming down the _Falcon’s_ ramp, Chewbacca roared back at Hondo, waving his large arms around.

“Ah! Chewbacca my fine furry friend!” Hondo greeted him just as warmly as he did Finn and Rey. 

The Wookiee growled at him again, a warning.

Hondo tried to appease him. “No, no. There is nothing you need to worry about! It’s just as we bargained. We use the ship, you get the supplies you need. You help the Resistance and I get all profits!”

It didn’t seem like Chewbacca was happy with this bargain, but nonetheless, he relented with another wave of his arm. 

Finn looked to Rey for translation as their friend walked out of the hangar. She shrugged. “I guess it’s okay. Chewie just wants to make sure the _Falcon_ returns back in one piece.”

“But it’s just _merchandise,_ right?” Finn was perplexed. “How hard could it be to deliver a few shipments?”

The look on Rey’s face said enough for him to want to drop it.

“So then, what are we supposed to do while we wait around?” he prompted.

Hondo appeared again, his arms full with a small crate that rattled. Obviously, something was alive in there, but Finn took Rey’s cue and decided it was better not to ask. 

“My friends, you’ve never been to Batuu, have you?” When the pair shook their heads, he sat the crate down and for good measure, sat another nearby crate on top of it. He led them outside the hangar, where they got their first glimpse of the outpost.

They looked out to a street that might have sat there for centuries, given how old the local architecture made of gray stone and clay looked. Black Spire was a bustling trade outpost for the Outer Rim, lively with locals and travelers alike. But it was surrounded by natural beauty. From where they stood, they could see the rock spires the area was named for, nestled between lush green trees and ferns. It looked a little gritty for an outpost, but they could easily see the old world charm. In the light of the setting sun, the sky was bathed in layers of light pink and blue.

“There’s plenty for you to do around here,” Hondo continued. “Lots to see. Just keep your heads low. We got lots of travelers from all over, see? People you might not want to run into,” he hinted.

The First Order banners hanging over an entryway was more than enough warning to them.

“Are there Resistance sympathizers here?” Finn asked, he heard a base had been set up somewhere around the outpost, but they weren't given specifics, being sent here in a haste in all. General Organa gave them strict orders to stay close to the _Falcon._

Hondo nodded. “You will meet many people here from all walks of life. My advice is you be careful of how much information about yourself you give them.”

Finn frowned as he looked around him again and looked down at his clothes. The black trousers and the light gray jacket looked normal enough to fit in here. He wasn’t so sure about Rey’s gray drapings though. Even without the lightsaber clipped to her side, the outfit and quarterstaff she continued to keep at her side was a little out of the ordinary. If the First Order had a bounty on their arrest out, it might be hard to hide.

“Go!” Hondo shooed them away. “Go see the world. Have fun, and before you know it Hondo will have your ship back to you full of supplies.”

They could take a hint to know when they were no longer wanted. Chewbacca wasn’t with them, but it sounded like he was familiar enough with the area for them not to worry about him. Even if the First Order was around, it might be nice to just be tourists for once.

They quickly realized after they made their first steps into the marketplace that they would not be able to relax.

Flanked by two stormtroopers in their gleaming white armor, a First Order officer stood in the center of the street, calling out to the civilians as they passed him by. Many avoided eye contact with him as they quickened their pace to get away, but some gave him interested glances.

“Citizens. Travelers,” he called out. “I have some important news for you. Step forward. I won’t bite.” He grinned as he urged passerbys to come near him, trying to look approachable. 

The congregation that stopped around him made it difficult for anyone else to get by. Deciding it would be best to wait it out and use the cover of the crowd to keep out of sight, Finn and Rey slumped and sat against a wall as far away from the officer as they could.

“I thought officers were supposed to be clean-shaven?” Rey observed, looking at the thick beard around the man’s face.

Finn mumbled, “Probably doesn’t get a personal inspection that often if he’s based here. Some guys get let off easy.”

The officer continued his speech. He spoke confidently, with a honey-laced tongue. “All of you in this outpost, hear me. The First Order is now in power. The Resistance is destroyed but they won’t accept it. They don’t see that the First Order brings stability, order, and the loot of war to the galaxy.”

Next to Finn, Rey made a muffled gagging noise.

“The Resistance would disrupt this balance. You see, they bring conflict, oppression, even war, and we will be forced to respond with the same. And yet, they press on. They survive, keep fighting for this hopeless cause.”

A couple of people in the crowd nodded in agreement, but the rest of the onlookers remained still and silent.

The officer looked pleased with himself. “We believe a Resistance spy was sent here to Batuu. If you know anything, we invite you to step forward.”

Startling, Finn looked around to make sure no one was looking at him and Rey. No one seemed to notice them though, and he relaxed again as he turned his head to see Rey looked almost equally fearful.

“Do you know if there’s a spy here?” he whispered carefully.

She shrugged. “I haven’t heard anything, but it sounds plausible if a base is here. There might be a lot to uncover here. Or maybe he’s just recruiting.”

That seemed as good as any of an explanation to Finn. If the First Order was here, there might be a lot of intel to get and it was obvious that the enemy wasn’t here just to find a spy. A busy outpost like this was a prime area to find volunteers to join the ranks. From the reports the Resistance received from their remaining intelligence officers, more and more people were voluntarily joining the First Order’s ranks. Many were Imperial sympathizers to start with, too young to remember life under the Empire, but there were some lured in with the promise of work and a rewarding career. Rey said she couldn’t blame those people; everyone just wanted to survive and rarely saw the desert for the dunes.

“Some of you may even support the Resistance and if this is true, we will find out and then you will feel the consequences of your own actions.” The officer’s voice became commanding and threatening, far different from the warmth he tried to express at the start of his speech. He looked around the faces in the crowd pointedly. Maybe he already had singled out a few Resistance supporters.

Seemingly done with his speech, the officer went quiet as he waited for others to approach him. The crowd began to move again and Finn and Rey took it as their chance to sneak away. They had seen enough.

  


**II.**

A passing duo of stormtroopers made Finn and Rey duck into the first open building they came across. They just needed to stay out of sight for a few moments.

The building turned out to be a cantina, and judging by the line waiting to order drinks, it was popular. Deciding it wouldn’t be a bad place to lie low for a bit, they waited their turn until they could get seats at the bar and read off the menu. 

They spluttered their speech when they saw the prices for the house specialties on a menu laid out on the counter.

“Seriously?” Finn gaped.

Rey looked just as baffled. “I didn’t think people were that wealthy here.”

“Four-hundred-twenty credits for a drink? What’s in it?”

“I think it’s because it comes with a souvenir mug…”

“We could buy something that looks the same and learn to make the drink ourselves at half the cost.” Finn glared at the menu. “I don’t think General Organa would be happy if we used the Resistance’s credits on overpriced drinks.”

Rey shook her head. “No, but there are some cheaper drinks on here. I don’t think she’ll care if we get those. We’re trying to blend in anyway.” Turning to the man with a canine face and lavender skin next to her, she eyed what he held in his hand. “What’s that?” she asked him.

“Fuzzy Tauntaun,” he mumbled.

“Is it any good?”

“Sweet,” he responded before going back to his drink.

She looked for it on the menu, her finger running down the text until she found it. “Well, that’s not too bad.” It took her a moment to summon the bartender, a short human woman that looked like she might have worked there for a long time.

After taking Rey’s order, she looked at Finn. “What about you?”

Skimming the menu quickly, he settled on the cider on tap. “Uh, a Spice Runner, please.”

The bar tender made Rey’s drink in front of them and left for a moment to pour Finn’s cider into a glass. It tasted fresh and far better than the ales the Resistance pilots loved. He thought he got a hint of summer berries in his first drink.

But he watched Rey with interest as she looked over the nectar-like drink that foamed gently at the top. She sipped it at first, deciding if she liked it.

“Well?” he asked.

She grinned. “Tastes like fruit. It’s good!”

They spent the next couple of minutes planning what they wanted to do after they left the cantina. They weren’t sure of the entire layout of the outpost, but hanging around a crowded marketplace had pros and cons. They might run into more stormtroopers, but they easily might go unnoticed. 

Rey’s expression slowly evolved into something with uncertainty. She glanced at her drink again.

“Ib con’t freel m’tongue,” she gasped, which prompted Finn to panic as he lifted her glass and inspected it. He couldn’t smell anything unusual, but knew poison could often dissolve into liquid without a trace. If it was poison, that meant someone knew they were here and they needed to find someone who could help and fast.

A woman approached from behind them. “Don’t worry about it,” she told them.

Finn stared at her. “Huh?”

“They put a flavoring in the drink that Twi’leks love, but it makes humans experience slight numbing,” she explained. “It’s safe and should stop soon. They really ought to put a warning somewhere,” she muttered under her breath.

Rey heaved a sigh of relief.

The woman stared at Finn’s face, then glanced at Rey. They got their first good look at her. The first thing that they noticed about her was that her hair was cropped to chin length and the tips of her black hair were dyed light blue. It was becoming a more common sight to see colorful hair dyes in human hair, but it still wasn’t something people did a lot. Her skin tone was a medium brown, and it made the bright red jacket she wore stand out in the crowd.

“What are you two doing here?” she sighed.

Trying to put a name to her face, Finn could not figure out if he knew this woman. “I’m sorry,” he said. “Have we met?”

She looked around the room before she ran a hand through her hair. “Maybe we should move this somewhere more private,” she told them.

The followed her to a booth closer to the entrance. It was a good spot to eavesdrop if you didn’t want to be seen by incoming cantina patrons, however, it meant they needed to keep their voices down.

“You don’t need to worry about stormtroopers coming in,” the woman explained. “Oga runs this place and she really doesn’t like troublemakers. Did you see those bouncers outside? They won’t let them in.”

Finn was puzzled. “Wouldn’t the 'troopers just force their way in?”

The woman looked pleased. “Nah, they got the message the first time they tried.” She made a gesture with her hands to make it look like she was holding a blaster.

The conversation turned serious now.

“We haven’t met properly,” the stranger said. “But I’ve seen you when I return to check-in.” She held out her hand to Finn first. “Name’s Vi. Captain Vi Moradi, if we want to exchange formalities.”

He took her hand firmly as Rey looked on thoughtfully. “You’re the spy,” she guessed.

Vi nodded. “And you two are our big heroes.” She said it with a joking smile. “The general didn’t say anything to me about you two coming here. Something I should know?”

Finn shrugged. “Not really.”

“Here on a favor for Hondo Ohnaka,” Rey added, grinning with relief once she realized she was speaking normally again. "We're tourists while we wait for him to bring back our ship."

Looking interested, Vi acted like she understood what was going on. “A favor, hmm? Wonder what he’s trying to smuggle out.”

The duo said nothing at first. “We thought it was better not to ask,” Rey confessed.

The three looked between each other before they all burst out laughing. 

“Sounds about right,” Vi chuckled.

  


**III.**

It was dark when they left the cantina. Hondo sent them an update that he needed the _Falcon_ for _just a little longer_ than he originally expected, and so he set Finn and Rey up in a spare room in the hangar he kept aside for such an occasion.

Vi walked them back to make sure they were safe. “If you got time tomorrow, you might want to check out the market. There’s some cool shops around here. Good street food.”

“Are they going to charge me 420 credits for a souvenir mug?” Finn accused.

She laughed. “Most places are reasonable, but there are some places that will charge an arm and a leg for junk. Oga Garra - she's the owner of that cantina - you could say she runs this outpost. Everyone pays her a share of their sales if they don't want trouble from her. That's why prices are so inflated.”

Then as Vi started explaining some of the different slang that they would run into around the outpost, Rey suddenly stopped in her tracks. It took a moment for Finn to realize that she was no longer in step with them.

“Rey?”

Hushing him, she urged them to move closer to her. “There’s someone-" she began before Vi peeked around the corner and saw what she was sensing.

A First Order shuttle had just landed in the outpost, almost more starfighter than transport. It had the shape of a TIE and was the size of a commander’s shuttle. Finn recognized the design, but it was the first time he saw it in person. A TIE Echelon.

“We need to keep out of sight,” Vi urged as she moved them to one of the closed stalls to hide. The ramp of the shuttle hissed as it was lowered and a figure emerged.

Rey and Finn knew the man in black well and they froze in place for a moment as they watched him descend from Echelon.

Standing at attention, the officer that spoke in the market earlier waited to be addressed.

“Lieutenant,” Kylo acknowledged. His helmet repaired with red molding while his voice was back to the mechanical tone from its internal vocal manipulator.

The officer walked forward. “Supreme Leader,” he greeted. “Welcome to Batuu.”

With large steps, Kylo met the other man halfway, towering over him in height. There was nothing friendly about his stance.

“You are a poor leader,” Kylo snapped. “Have you found the Resistance spy?

Sensing his superior’s foul mood, the officer tried to quickly diffuse the situation. “Not yet sir, but we got it under control. I have sent reconnaissance troops to patrol the out-"

Gulping loudly, the man tried to find a grip on the invisible hand around his neck. Kylo held his arm out and clenched his hand in the direction of the officer.

“You have failed, Lieutenant,” he snarled. “That Resistance spy was tracked to Batuu. You were sent to find her.” He said this as if he were reminding the officer of his task. “If she is here, she may not be alone. Do you understand? The Resistance must not be allowed to regroup. If someone in this outpost knows something, we must find them.”

Then, he let go of his grip on the man. The officer heaved a breath and messaged his neck. “Sir, I will lead a team right now,” he tried.

But Kylo stopped him by pointing at him in a threatening manner. _“You_ will await further orders,” he said as he turned around and headed to the marketplace. “’Troopers.”

A small team of stormtroopers marched down the ramp and stood behind him, waiting for orders. Kylo stepped away and headed in the market's direction. He looked around, like he was expecting to see someone as soon as he turned the corner.

When he got a full view of the area, the Resistance trio was already gone.

  


**IV.**

To their relief, the next morning the Echelon was gone and Rey could not sense Kylo anymore. They stood outside, backs a little stiff from the cramped bed they shared the night before, and breathed in the crisp morning air.

“I thought he knew I was here,” she breathed deeply. “For sure.”

Finn wasn’t sure how to respond to that as they walked out of the hangar after checking to see if the _Falcon_ was back yet. Still out its delivery run, Hondo told them again that it would be back soon and promised it would _absolutely be back in one piece._ Chewbacca was growing angry and impatient, implying that he didn’t believe his beloved freighter was in capable hands after all.

It was by luck that Kylo didn’t stick around, but the First Order still had their presence here, and there was no sign of Vi anywhere. They hoped that they hadn’t found her.

“Maybe she’s lying low,” Finn suggested.

Rey didn’t look so confident. “If Kylo has her-"

“I’m sure he doesn’t,” Finn tried to assure her.

“If he does, then we know _why_ he didn’t stay here. He sensed me here, I’m certain.”

They wandered past the cantina and explored the marketplace like Vi suggested. Maybe they would run into her later, or at least, use the experience to keep their minds off things.

The first stall they came to was simple and easy to understand. Hanging from the shed roof were spherical tanks full of blue and green liquid. The blue was bantha milk, but Finn didn’t recognize the other one…

“What’s the green one?” he asked Rey, though he was certain that a girl from Jakku would know just as much as he did.

She wrinkled her nose. “Thala-Siren milk,” she answered.

He was surprised she knew that. “How’d you-?”

“We do not talk about it,” she said, almost robotic as she stared ahead of her blankly. It looked like she was trying to avoid recalling a bad memory.

Still, he didn’t quite let it drop. “Is it good?”

Suddenly, her face took on an almost hostile expression. “If you drink that, we’re not speaking again. You can’t leave me with that mental image.”

Well, _that_ certainly wasn’t a response he would have expected from her, but he decided it was best to humor her. If looks could kill… “I’ll get us some blue milk then. You want some, right?” It was a good breakfast choice, full of protein. 

She nodded. “Let me.” And she was gone for a few minutes while Finn found a spot along a low wall to sit on. When she returned, she held two glasses of the blue drink and offered him one.

It was a lot colder than he would have expected, but the milk was refreshing as the morning warmed up. Nothing could be better than sharing a drink with a good friend. 

Perhaps it would be a good day this time.

  


**V.**

“Oh! Can we stop in here?”

Rey reached in front of her to tug on Finn’s hand to grab his attention. She pointed to the entrance of a shop with its doors left open to show the inside. She heard a symphony of _beeps_ and _boops_ coming from inside and she felt excited when she looked up to read the old sign in Arubesh that spelled out _Droid Depot._

“Don’t see why not,” he said as he followed her in.

Right away, her eyes darted back and forth to all the droid parts and accessories for sale. She didn’t own a droid, though she wished R2-D2 was here. Some of his parts needed replacing and upkeep and though the R-unit insisted he wasn’t old at all, his age was making it difficult to find parts for him.

It didn’t look like this place was lacking in R-unit parts at all. There were quite a few different kinds of droids hanging around the shop, but it seemed like astromechs were the specialty. She spotted a head piece of a BB-unit rotating along a conveyor belt and it reminded her of BB-8, only with a purple paint job. 

She picked the piece up. “Think BB-8 will get mad if we bought a droid?”

“If you buy one that looks like that, he’ll think we’re replacing him,” laughed Finn. 

“Right,” Rey sighed as she sat it back down and picked up another part, a red cylindrical body. 

Finn ran his hand through his hair. “Now, if you get another R-unit, R2’s really going to think we’re replacing him.”

“I guess the droid idea will have to wait. If we need another droid on board, I’m sure the general will let us borrow one of the Resistance’s units.” She made note of everything available and decided to bring R2 back here with her sometime so he could help her pick out his own replacement parts.

A rusty older R-unit moved forward to offer help. It had a custom paint job of an orange body with teal accents and Rey thought the combination looked nice. It beeped a question at her.

“Oh, no,” she responded to him – the droid has masculine programming. “We’re just looking right now. Thank you.”

The droid replied to her sadly before it rolled away. She frowned.

“What did he say?” Finn asked. “I couldn’t really follow it.”

“He was disappointed that we weren’t going for an R-unit,” she explained. “Said everyone wants BB-units now.”

Facing reflecting hers, Rey could tell that Finn felt sympathetic for the droid. “Oh, yeah. I guess I see a lot of those.”

“R2 said something similar once. He said everyone wanted the better-looking new droids and the old R-units are finding themselves in junk yards. He’s convinced he’s next.”

Finn looked pained. “We’d never-"

“I know.” She moved over to look at the deactivated droid models sitting behind a wire mesh display. There was something that saddened her about a lifeless droid.

Standing next to her, Finn chuckled. “Free them,” he said, referencing something they heard one of Poe’s squadron say about booted X-wings on another mission not too long ago.

She giggled, though it didn’t make her feel much better. “I’d take that R-unit that wanted to help us, but I’m sure he likes his job here. He’s probably well taken care of.”

A low whine came from behind him and they turned around to see the orange and teal droid had heard them. 

Rey nodded. “You’re welcome.”

After the droid helper rolled away, Finn looked to Rey for a translation.

“He said he was touched that we would want a droid like him. And we’re always welcome here.”

The corners of Finn’s mouth twitched upward into a warm smile. 

As they did one last round around the shop to look at some the accessories they could buy for droids and knew they couldn’t get away with buying R2 a drink tray to roll around the _Falcon_ with, they realized that they failed to pay attention to their surroundings.

“We need to see your identification,” a static-like voice came from behind them.

Almost frozen where they stood, the pair turned slowly around to see two stormtroopers standing near the assembly line. They waited expectantly as one of the helper droids complained in a loud stream of whines. 

“Silence,” ordered one of the troopers.

The droids didn’t like this one bit. The ones with arm attachments waved them in the air as they wobbled back and forth on their base and legs. The translator droid that stood the entire time in the back of the shop, waiting to be called on, suddenly sprung to life and strode stiffly up to the stormtroopers.

“Sirs,” she started, “I must ask you to leave. Your blasters will unsettle our customers.”

One stormtrooper raised his hand to shoo her away. “We don’t take orders from droids,” he said, then he muttered to his partner, “Too bad we can’t do a personality wipe on these ones. The droids on the _Aggravator_ actually did what their masters said.”

The orange and teal droid gripped his arm extension around the forearm of one of the ‘troopers.

“I don’t think I made it clear,” the translator droid continued. “It was not a suggestion. Leave.”

The other stormtrooper raised his blaster. “What did you- _Ah!”_

A BB-unit rolled into him, zapping the stormtrooper in the calf with its taser. The following blaster fire and appearance of droid parts that could be used as weapons, gave Finn and Rey a chance to sneak away.

“Think they’ll be okay?” Rey looked over her shoulder to try to see what was going on in the shop.

Finn halted in his step. “I think we need to worry about ourselves first.”

In front of them another group of stormtroopers was standing in the middle of the marketplace, looking right at them.

“Halt!” one of them commanded.

They ran for it, only Finn went in one direction and Rey went in another, both believing the other was following them.

  


**VI.**

“I think we lost them,” Rey huffed as she peered around another corner. “We’ll just need to find a place to- Finn?”

She looked around the area, even back tracked a little and when she realized Finn wasn’t nearby, she got a sinking feeling in her stomach. He must have just gotten separated from her in the chaos of being chased by the stormtroopers, she told herself. They would find each other soon. The market was big, but not so big that she wouldn't have a chance at spotting him as she walked around.

Yes, she would find him later. Maybe they would both make it back to Hondo’s hangar before they found each other in the marketplace. She would wander around the market some more and keep her eye out for him and more stormtroopers.

Rey found herself in a more open area of the marketplace. The only shop nearby was an outdoor stall that seemed to sell scrap parts from starfighters and transports. It took Rey back to a memory of a lifetime as a scavenger on Jakku and how she traded scrap like this for food. Unkar Plutt often sold valuable scrap metal to rich collectors and frequently traders would come into Niima to take large shipments from him.

She wondered if anyone on Batuu bought from him.

Largely uninterested in scrap metal, she turned around to head back into the marketplace proper, only to run into a young human boy with a small box in his arms. Startled, he dropped it to the ground and gasped.

“Oh, I’m sorry!” She crouched down to gather the box and give it back to him.

He said something to her that sounded like a thank you in a language she didn’t understand before he rushed away, entering the building she assumed belonged to the junk shop.

There was something on the ground. It probably fell out of the box and she reached down to pick it up. Brushing it off, she inspected the part, but she didn’t recognize it as a ship part. Perhaps it went to some machinery. 

Approaching the stand, she was poised to speak to a woman at the counter, when she noticed something that made her stop. A blue flag hung against the building, old and tattered, but there was something familiar about the silver sigil printed on it. It wasn’t right – or maybe it was an older symbol – but it reminded her of the symbol she found on the old Jedi texts.

She looked back down at the round part in her hands and realized that the weathered piece of junk actually once belonged to a lightsaber. If she was right, it would have been the outer casing of a power cell.

“Excuse me,” she approached the shopkeeper. “I accidentally ran into one of your workers and I think he dropped this.” She slid the part across the counter.

The woman glanced at the part and then quickly swept it away. “Thank you. It was kind of you to return it.”

Rey waited for a moment to see if the woman would say anything more. When she was met with nothing but silence, she spoke up.

“Do you sell lightsaber parts here?” she asked.

“We sell scrap,” the shopkeeper snapped. “Just scrap.”

She felt her hopes drop. Maybe the part was for something else after all. “Oh, well. Never mind.”

“I said we sell _scrap,”_ the woman repeated as if that clarified things. She grinned. “Perhaps we have the scrap you’re looking for.”

Confused, Rey stared at her for another moment before the shopkeeper sighed and beckoned her to come around to her side of the counter. Underneath the checkout was a couple of drawers that didn’t look like anything special. The woman slid the middle drawer out, revealing a set of cleaned parts that would make up a lightsaber.

Feeling her eyes widen, Rey tried to remain calm. She nodded. “Yes, that’s the kind of scrap I’m looking for." This was starting to feel like an illicit trade instead of just an inquiry of information. "Can you tell me about it? Maybe about repairs?” The lightsaber sat with Leia during this trip, but Rey had no idea where to start to repair it. Lightsaber parts, it turned out, were a lot different from the components of a speeder. She didn’t dare touch it until she knew what she was doing.

The woman smiled darkly and waved her hand at the door of the building. “Our gatherers will know more than me,” she hinted. “Go inside. Savi will be most interested in helping you.”

Following where the woman pointed to, Rey ventured into the old scrapyard building, wondering what she would find. The whole thing was getting sketchier by the minute.

From first glance, the only thing the building house was what she would expect. Rusted metal innards of engines, some old blasters that didn’t look like they would work again, there was even an old energy transport crate from the days of the Empire. But none of these things held much interest to her.

As she looked for sign of someone to speak to, she came to a door at the end of the long hallway. Rey knew she shouldn’t snoop around, but she moved her hand to jiggle the latch anyway and found it was open. Peering inside, she found a room with a long table that serpentined across the room. There were trays every couple of meters, making them seem more like work stations.

“Welcome,” a tall man walked into the room. He wore an apron filled with tools. 

Rey looked him up and down. “Are you Savi?”

He looked at her inquisitively. “Who’s to say?”

She shrugged. “I was told he might be able to help me.”

“Only the ancients know,” the man said simply. “Depending on what it is you are seeking help on.”

“For a price, I’m sure?” Rey raised her eyebrow.

This time, he shrugged. “Depends.” He looked her up and down. “I sense you are not a normal customer. You are here with a great purpose.”

Never knowing who she could trust, Rey wasn’t sure how to answer. She needed help, but anybody at this outpost could be aligned with the First Order or might blab about her to someone else who was. It was a risk she wasn’t sure she was willing to take.

The man looked like he understood. He looked down at one of the trays at a workstation.

“Why don’t you ask me a question first, and I’ll figure out if we can help you?”

  


**VII.**

When Finn figured out Rey was no longer with him, the only thing he wanted to do was find her again. Black Spire Outpost was a bustling place, and that would make it hard for him to spot out any individual in the crowd.

He stopped moving when he was certain the stormtroopers were no longer following him. He didn’t tell Rey, but he had a small blaster hidden under his vest in case they needed one, but with how many civilians were here, he was worried that a fight would get a bystander hurt.

Looking around, he got a sense of his surroundings. There were mainly food stalls around him, but also a couple of shops that sold local crafts. Nothing particularly out of sorts. He could no longer see the red banners of the First Order hanging along the walls and he hoped that meant he would see less of their troops on the streets.

Attached to an old water tank was a set of hydrators, and though Finn wasn’t certain about how safe it was to drink out of something that looked so rusty, he was thirsty and figured it was fine to risk it. He didn’t think an area with so many travelers would keep a water tank around if it was unsafe.

The water was cold and surprisingly fresh. Finn had to pull himself away to avoid drinking too much at once. He ran his sleeve across his face to wipe away droplets that spilled along his skin.

A single green eyeball stared at him in the water tank. It blinked once, then submerged itself once again. 

He fell backwards, terrified. “What is-?” He pointed at the water tank, not talking to anyone in particular.

Running his hand down his face again, Finn decided that he should always check water sources before he drank out of them.

Something in the air caught his attention. It smelled like lunch and made his stomach rumble at the thought. Grilled meat, it smelled like meat roasting over a fire.

Gravitating to the scent, he found himself in front of the open food stalls.

The first thing he noticed were the creatures hanging from meat hooks from the ceiling. He wrinkled his nose at the sight, not really enjoying to know what the creature his meal came from looked like.

The second thing he noticed was what was used to cook the meat. Finn never thought there would be another use for a podracer engine, but there it was, hanging downwards with spits of meat being roasted in its heat.

The pitmaster droid unsettled him. He had never seen a droid so skeleton-like before, but it was busy concentrating on its task to take notice of Finn’s staring. 

Finn glanced at the counter and read off the menu. He didn’t know what kind of creature a ronto was, but it sure looked good to eat. It was a small menu with the only offerings being a wrap containing a sausage being cooked on the spits or jerky that came in sweet or spicy flavors. 

His stomach gurgled again. It wouldn’t hurt his wallet to stop for lunch here.

“Can I get a Ronto Wrap?” he asked the four-eyed, tusked man standing at the order counter.

He nodded. “Anything to drink?”

Anything would be better that water coming from that tank, he thought as he scanned the menu. “None of these have alcohol in them, right?”

“Right.”

“Okay then, how ‘bout a Sour Sarlacc.” The other drinks sounded good, but Finn wanted to laugh at the name of this one.

The total ran to 183 credits, which was far more reasonable than any drink that came out of that cantina from the night before. That was still a bit higher than what he would expect for a wrap and a drink, but Finn was figuring out that prices here were a lot higher than they usually were in the Outer Rim. Perhaps the locals knew they could squeeze a bit more credits out of travelers and tourists.

He was given his wrap and drink promptly and sat down at a nearby table in what looked to be a collective sitting area. The drink was a dusty pink in color and for some reason he had been expecting green. 

Taking a bite from the wrap first, he got a taste of yeasty bread and the sausage inside. It was delicious, but he had no idea how to describe it. Another bite gave him a bit of the slaw that had been stuffed along with the meat. He thought the sausage was a little too thin for the size of the wrap, but it was still wonderful.

A taste of the drink gave him a kick of citrus with something tropical and spicy. It worked well with the wrap.

His stomach tightened again when he saw another pair of stormtroopers enter the area.

“Commander wants us to keep an eye out for that ship,” one was being conversational with his partner.

“The _Millennium Falcon?”_ asked the other. “Looks like a pile of junk from the holo.”

The first stormtrooper shrugged. “Still, if we spot it, we might get a promotion out of it.”

They didn’t seem to notice Finn eating at the table, and that brought him some relief. They were too busy wrapped up in their own thoughts.

“Wait,” said one of the stormtroopers and Finn braced himself. They turned to two human women looking down at a datapad and approached them. “We have been informed that you might be aligned with the Resistance. Is this true?”

They almost certainly _did not_ have that information and were just heckling the visitors, but even so, Finn watched to make sure he didn’t need to step in.

One woman shook her head.

“Well then,” the other stormtrooper started. “Have a good day!”

The brightness of the ‘troopers voice had Finn taken aback as he watched them walk away. The two women looked at each other confused, then shrugged and went back to what they were doing.

Never in his time in the First Order had Finn seen stormtroopers act so… casually. No further questions, no random arrests. They just walked away.

He watched them do the same to another group of travelers. Heckle them, then walk away without further questioning. Some even got a laugh out of the encounter.

The entire scenario baffled Finn as he quietly nibbled at his lunch.

  


**VIII.**

The first thing he noticed in the antiques dealer were the unsettling collection of creature heads. Stuffed and still with unseeing dead eyes, Finn wondered why anyone would want something as useless and eerie as the head of a tauntaun. 

He found the shop on accident while he was wandering the marketplace and looking for Rey. It was a passing curiosity, really, because he had never seen so many odd knick-knacks and art pieces like this before.

And really, that’s what almost all of this stuff was, but Finn supposed that beauty was in the eye of the beholder. There was a wall full of glowing cubes and pyramids, labeled to be real Jedi and Sith holocrons (he seriously doubted that was true), small cases that held random kyber crystals that he also doubted were the real thing, and then just a lot of other junk he would expect to see at an antique shop.

The owner of the shop, an Ithorian, watched Finn intently as he browsed. Some of the other shoppers whispered rumors of how he got some of these things, believing the Jedi and Sith artifacts to be the real deal. What most of them talked about, however, was how shrewd Dok Ondar was when it came to price.

All the Imperial relics Finn believed were real though. An artist’s rendition of Admiral Thrawn, a tin filled with credits for worlds that didn’t have the tech to run credit sticks, old banners that had seen better days. These were certainly real, and there were plenty of collectors out in the galaxy that would pay a nice price for them.

He was a little creeped out by the collection of clothes and jewelry advertised as being owned and worn by General Organa herself. It was all clothing of a younger woman, but there was no way anyone could have gotten a hold of the Princess of Alderaan’s clothes.

“Where’d you get these?” he finally asked the Ithorian. 

The shopkeeper spoke into a machine that translated for him. _“I have my ways,”_ he replied.

“You couldn’t have just raided her closet,” Finn snarked.

The Ithorian made a breathy chuckle. _“No, some of those things belonged to her mother. They were dropped in space on accident, and well, I’m not even going to let gravity get in the way of a good sale.”_

Finn thought he would bring it up to the general when he returned to base. He wasn’t sure if it was something she would do anything about, but it would be good for her to know. To some people, family heirlooms were priceless treasures and he could bet that anything owned by the Princess of Alderaan was a real treasure to the world’s homeless survivors.

Something in the cases towards the front of the shop caught Finn’s eye, and he moved to the glass display counters. Polished metal cylinders gleamed under the dim light of the store.

“Okay, there is no way you’re gonna convince me that’s a real lightsaber.” Finn was exasperated.

Dok Ondar laughed again. _“Temple guards were many; it’s easy to find their weapons if you know where to look.”_

Finn stared at him, doubtful.

_“I’ll let you try it out for yourself, for a price of course.”_

“Of course,” Finn mumbled. He stared down at the lightsaber nestled nicely in a display box and noted that it seemed longer than Rey’s lightsaber. Interestingly, it petaled out on both ends, making it hard for him to tell which way the blade would have extended from when activated.

He would tell Rey about this to see what she had to say, when he found her, that was.

  


**IX.**

After wandering around the outpost for a few hours, Rey’s stomach began to rumble. She could ignore it easily after a lifetime of always being halfway to starvation any given moment, but if she didn’t have to, she’d rather she didn’t.

She stood on a slight incline in the pavement, leading up a slope of shops and food stalls. Looking around, she wondered what might be good.

At the top of the slope it looked like a shipping dock was situated, but it didn’t have all the usual gear a docking bay in use would have. All she could see was a sign saying _Docking Bay 7_ painted in bright yellow letters. A few civilians were walking up that way, causing Rey to figure out it wasn’t just a shipping port anymore.

Wandering up to check it out herself, she quickly realized that the shipping port had been repurposed to be a restaurant and a popular one. Fresh food set aside for preparation was left out on display for guests to see. Aquatic creatures with meaty bodies lay on crates full of ice or hung from meat hooks. Shipping containers had been made into sitting spaces, booths for families or a place to have a little more privacy. Most of the restaurant had open seating with bar stools and chairs set around a hodgepodge of mismatched tables. 

It looked like casual counter service, which allowed her to feel a little more comfortable to walk up to the menu and look. Prices were decent and it looked like the food would be too.

“Bright suns,” the human man at the register greeted.

“Uh… Bright suns,” she replied, still not accustomed to the local slang.

He waited. “What’ll it be?”

Rey still had no idea what half the food on the menu was. “What’s kefta?” 

“A plant-based meal. Sometimes used as a meat substitute. It’s very tasty.”

It sounded good, and plants tended to settle with her stomach better than meat still. “Can I get an order of the Felucian Garden Spread?”

The cashier rang up the order and took her credit stick before handing her a number on a card. “Set it on the table you sit at. We’ll find you.”

It was only a few minutes after she selected a table in a secluded corner that a droid fitted with trays rolled up to her and lifted a plate with its arm attachments. The plate included a flatbread sandwich, with the rounded kefta balls and crushed seasonable vegetables poured over it.

She thanked the droid before she took her first bite and had to keep herself from making a rude sound out loud.

It was _delicious._

  


**X.**

Still no sign of Rey.

Finn was growing worried as he wandered around the market some more. Hondo still hadn’t notified them that the _Falcon_ was back and waiting for them, but the First Order wasn’t bragging that they had captured the last Jedi either. He could conclude, to his relief, that meant Rey was probably safe and looking for him too.

He was getting to the end of the area and looked around with curiosity. There was a stand selling some kind of treat that smelled warm and buttery, prepared in kettles until each piece made a tell-tale _popping_ sound to signal it was ready. Finn didn’t know what it was called, but he wondered what the pieces tasted like before the owner dusted a mix of colorful powdered – pinks, reds, and purples – over the food.

Even though Finn wasn’t interested in eating at the moment, he noted that the children seemed to love the treat.

Wandering a little further down the line of shops, he came across another open store and stopped as he heard a symphony of squeals, chirps, and hisses. Inside were a collection of containers lined up along the walls, and inside those containers were an array of exotic creatures.

The very first container was probably sat out in the front for a good reason. When he peered inside, Finn couldn’t help the grin that spread across his face as he looked at an adorably sleepy Loth cat purring contently as it curled up with a blanket and toy. He’d take it home with him in a heartbeat if home wasn’t currently a Resistance base or whatever method of transportation he happened to be sleeping on for a few nights en-route.

He looked at a few other containers and found creatures big and small from all sorts of worlds, even the familiar porg that looked up at him with watery, frightened eyes. Finn felt sorry for it, but wondered if it would be worth the effort to move more of the little avians back to Ahch-To. They left disgusting messes back on the _Falcon_ after Crait, prompting the general to ban the critters from being free to roam around spacecraft and bases until a better place for them was found.

Then he found creatures he wouldn’t consider pets. Mynocks and their fuel-syphoning mouths, six-legged miniature krykna, and, as silly as it was, a worrt puffing up its body with air to appear bigger in hopes of scaring off preditors.

In a low-sitting wooden crate, Finn noticed the lid had been removed, allowing shoppers to look inside. With a small, round plump body and eyes set far apart, the puffer piglet scurried around its pen, occasionally stopping to drink from a bowl set aside for it.

He crouched down to watch it, smiling at how cute it was. Curiously, the piglet glanced at him before coming closer to the crate’s edge, using the wooden side as leverage to help it stand on its hind legs to get a better look.

“Hi little guy.” Finn reached in and let the piglet sniff his hand before gently moving his hand to stroke its neck. Its skin was lined lightly with thick, wire hair, but it snorted in delight at his touch.

For another minute, he sat there and patted the piglet, content to sit in the shop's quiet atmosphere. He didn’t notice the stormtroopers enter the area until he heard them talking to another customer.

“We have been informed there might be some Resistance spies on Batuu,” one began, startling Finn. “Do you know anything about this?”

Thinking quickly, though not exactly quickly, Finn dove to crouch behind a bunch of boxes and container. He counted two stormtroopers, understanding that pairs were a standard for patrols here. He couldn’t stay here. Not if he didn’t want to be caught.

Blindly, he reached his hand through the boxes of crates, hoping to find something that could be used like a weapon. “C’mon,” he whispered.

“Halt,” the stormtooper addressed him. “Stand up. I have a few questions for you.”

Finn gulped as he stood up and looked the stormtrooper in the eyes of his helmet. He might be able to slip away undetected if he played it cool. “Yes, sir?” he asked.

“I’ve got a few questions for you,” the stormtrooper growled. “We’re looking for a Resistance spy. Have you-?”

Something tapped lightly up Finn’s arm, covered by the material of his long-sleeved shirt. Instinctively, he looked down to see three small ice-silver krykna crawling up the line of his arm.

He blinked once, then flailed his arm upward with a startled scream.

“What the-?” 

The force of Finn’s movements sent the arthropodic creatures flying through the air, directly onto the matte white helmet of the stormtrooper.

It took a moment for the stormtrooper to register what happened as he raised his gloved hand up to one of the spider. Then, he let out a shrill scream himself as he began to run around the shop hysterically, trying to shake off the arachnids. His partner approached to see what the commotion was and backed away from a krykna that dropped to the floor at his feet, right into a few creature cages.

Unfortunately, the cage he backed into contained a very grumpy Loth Cat who wasn’t happy that her nap was disrupted.

The yelp and growl of the Loth Cat grabbed Finn’s attention, and he turned around to see the stormtrooper trying to pull his hand out of the gaps in the wire cage. The critter bit down on his hand, scratching the underside of his wrist where the armor didn’t cover and protect.

He might have felt bad for the stormtroopers if he wasn’t trying to get away from them.

Behind him, the puffer piglet snorted, trying to get his attention. He crouched down at the pen for a short moment.

“Sorry, buddy,” he said, patting the piglet on the head gently. “If I have time, I’ll stop by and visit you later.”

The piglet snorted and tried to reach its short legs higher up the crate’s sides. It hopped, like it was hoping to jump out.

Finn turned away and checked to make sure the stormtroopers were still occupied before he ducked out of the shop. 

One last yelp made him look behind his back to see a stormtrooper groaning on the floor and the piglet scurrying past him. It ran up and nudged Finn’s leg before it scurried off into the marketplace. He hoped the piglet would be okay and either make it back to the shop later or find a home with someone that would take good care of it.

He moved farther away from the creature stall and into another open stall crowded with children. Looking around, he realized quickly that this was a toy shop and everything was hand-crafted by locals. 

The kids looked like they were enjoying themselves. Some of them tugged on their parents’ clothes to get their attention, holding wooden stormtrooper dolls that made Finn wonder if the troops stationed at the outpost frightened them or fascinated them. He found toy instruments that actually worked, wooden sticks that were painted to look like lightsabers (he thought Rey might get a kick out of that), and even hand-carved dejarik sets.

But when he stood in the back of the shop, he noticed a shelve lined with handmade dolls and stopped when he saw a pair sitting side by side. He scooped them up and inspected them and the felt details they were patched with.

Not really thinking about the cost, he took the dolls up to the register.

  


**XI.**

Still no sign of Finn.

Rey wandered farther away from the outpost, wondering if he came out to the quiet outskirts of the market to try to hide. She hadn’t seen stormtroopers venture out this way.

It was peaceful out here and the locals seemed to know this was a good spot to get away from the hustle and bustle. Vi even said she had hidden her A-wing out here while she was based on Batuu.

Speaking of which, she hadn’t run into Vi all day either.

She worried her lips with her teeth, wondering if Vi had been captured by the First Order after all. If that were true, could Finn be in danger too?

Maybe she should head back to Hondo’s…

As she sat against an old, crumbling stone wall and thought about what to do, she barely noticed a group of curious eyes watching her. 

“Are you lost?” A little girl wearing a beige dress, styled in a way that reminded Rey of her own clothes from Jakku. She looked up at Rey with large eyes.

Rey shook her head. “I’m not, but I’m looking for someone.”

“Oh.” The little girl blinked. “What do they look like?”

With a smile, Rey described Finn the best she could in a way the child could understand. She tried to describe his overall look and the clothes she saw him in last.

“I haven’t seen him,” the girl said apologetically, then her eyes widened as if she had an idea. “Wait here.”

She trotted away from the spot Rey was sitting in, backing behind a bush. “Hey,” she whispered. 

Two more children scooted out from behind the bushes. One was about the same age as the girl, wearing an orange flight suit and looking very much like a tiny Poe Dameron. The other looked like he could be the girl’s younger brother, clutching a Wookiee doll close to him.

The girl talked to them briefly, before she grabbed the youngest one by the hand and dragged him over. “He says he saw your friend.”

Rey crouched down to be more at the boy’s level. “Really? Where?”

The boy pointed back to the marketplace. “At the toy stall. Where I got this.” He lifted the doll up to show her.

“He’s a handsome guy.” Rey smiled. “Reminds me of someone I know.”

The boy’s eyes sparkled. “Really?”

She nodded. “A good friend of mine.”

Not wanting to be left out, the other boy in the pilot costume ran up to his friends. Rey stayed crouched down as she greeted him.

“Are you a pilot?” she asked the boy.

He nodded and Rey smiled over how much he reminded him of her when she was that same age. She thought back to her home on Jakku, the overturned AT-AT and wondered if the desert sands had already reclaimed the old pilot's helmet she used to play with.

“Want to help me practice flying?” she suggested.

The boy nodded again.

She stood up. “Okay then.” She held out her left arm. “First there’s a lever to push you into lightspeed.” Rey pretended to pull on an invisible stick. 

The boy watched her, not sure what she was doing.

She held her other hand out and front of her, like she was gripping the invisible yolk of the _Falcon._ “Then there’s a steering mechanism. And we can move it: left, right, up down.” She moved her arms to show him. “Are you ready to fly?”

He nodded.

Rey smiled. “All right. At the ready, hands on the steering wheel.”

Mimicking how her arms were positioned, the boy followed her lead. The other two children now watched, interested.

“Left,” she announced moving her arms in that direction. “Down.”

The boy tried to mirror her. The other children held their arms out, captivated.

“Up. Right. Left. Down.” The whole game was her shouting out random directions until someone fell off course. She came up with it when she was a child, teaching it to other kids when she encountered them.

“Up. Down. Right.” When the kids began to miss directions, she called out a new instruction. “Full speed ahead. Lightspeed. Punch it!”

Losing sight of what he was supposed to do, the boy in the pilot suit halted, his hands clenched together. The other two children giggled.

“Well, good job anyway,” Rey praised. “I think you’re ready to start flying now.”

The kids asked her to play one more round with them and the older boy with the Wookiee toy was the only one that didn’t mess up. Looking up at a nearby chronometer, Rey realized that it was early evening and thought she should probably think about getting back to Hondo’s hangar.

“Do you know that shipping hangar on the other side of the marketplace?” she asked the kids.

This time, the boy with the Wookie doll spoke up. “Hondo’s?”

She nodded. “That’s the one. I’m trying to get back, but I’m worried the stormtroopers might give me some trouble.”

“Are they bothering you?” the girl asked.

Rey wasn’t sure how much to say. “They didn’t like how I answered a question, so I had to run away for a little while.”

“We don't like the stormtroopers here,” the girl replied. “They cause trouble.”

“Do you know a way back to the hangar that might keep me out of their sight?”

The girl nodded. “Yeah, we know a few shortcuts.”

“Can you tell me?” Rey’d rather go off on her own. She didn’t want to get the kids involved with the First Order if she could help it.

She waited as the children tried to explain where she was supposed to go, but found that their direction giving skills needed some work. With a sigh, she realized that they would have to lead her there.

“If you see stormtroopers, tell me. Quietly,” she added. “And if they spot us, run.”

The kids stuck close with her as they led her through their shortcut through the marketplace. They knew the back alleys well and did not come across any stormtroopers until they made it back to area covered with First Order banners.

The group looked around a corner, into the market. “Okay,” whispered Rey. “Wait for my signal.”

A group of stormtroopers walked passed them. Once she was sure they were not going to turn around, Rey walked swiftly in a crouch and hid behind a trash can. Looking over at the kids, she waved to them to come to her.

They sprinted to her side and crouched around her. The boy in the pilot suit was on the lookout. “They’re coming back,” he warned.

The stormtroopers made a turn around to go back and patrol the other end of the market. It looked like they would be safe and go unnoticed until one trooper at the tail end of the line halted in place and stared at the trash can. Another one of his comrades noticed something too, and pointed.

“What the-?” 

The other stormtrooper began to approach. “Who’s there?”

The kids started to panic. Rey hushed them and brought them closer to her.

“We know you’re there behind the trash can, hair buns,” accused the stormtrooper. “Come out.”

Heart almost stopping in her chest, Rey reached up to pat her top hair bun and realized that it had been sticking out atop the trash can where the stormtroopers could see it.

  


**XII.**

Finn headed back to the hangar to see if Rey was waiting for him there. He had been up and down the marketplace already and he had no reason to believe that she was wandering around hoping to run into him.

He realized he might have spoken too soon when he spotted her on the run from a whole group of stormtroopers, a gaggle of children at her heels.

They needed help, and Finn couldn’t stand by and do nothing. He gave chase.

Quickly, he realized that he also needed to keep himself out of the sight of the stormtroopers if he wanted to get Rey and the children away from the First Order. He looked around, looking for a way that would help him get to where they were likely heading without being seen. The problem was that even though he had been up and down the marketplace, he didn’t know the streets or the back alleys well.

“Hey!” a voice called out to him. “What trouble are you two getting into this time?”

Vi Moradi, safe from the First Order and looking like a sight for sore eyes, crept in behind him.

“Vi! You’re okay!” 

She grinned. “Of course. Did you think the First Order would catch me that easily?”

“They might catch Rey if we don’t help her.” Finn hoped he didn’t sound rude, but the situation was kind of urgent.

Vi kept smiling and patted him on the back. “Don’t worry. We won’t let them get caught. Leave it to me.”

* * *

Rey led the kids as far away from the stormtroopers as she could, trying to weave their way in and out of side streets in hopes they would lose them.

“There’s a junkyard up ahead,” the boy with the Wookiee doll told her.

“Savi’s?” Maybe the Gatherers would be willing to hide them for a while.

He shook his head. “No, just a junkyard. Got some old speeders and droids. We can hide there.”

It was as good of an idea as any. Rey let him lead the way.

When the boy said junkyard, he really meant junkyard. If this was Jakku, it would have been a treasure trove of old parts and intact, but not working, starfighters. They squeezed their way into a garage, Rey warning the kids to be careful not to hurt themselves. There were a lot of sharp edges on the scrap metal and tools lying around on the floor. It was the perfect place to hide.

The stormtroopers realized this too, it seemed, as they surrounded the junkyard. 

“Bet they went in here,” one of them commented.

Finn was right, the First Order had worked on fixing the bugs of the Imperial stormtrooper program. These soldiers were at least somewhat competent. Too bad for them.

“Psst.” At first, Rey thought one of the kids were talking to her. She looked around confused. “Rey.”

Crawling from behind an ancient speeder that reminded Rey a little of her own that she left on Jakku, Vi Moradi gestured for them to get closer.

“Vi,” she whispered. “What are you doing here?”

“Finn’s looking for you. We saw you were in trouble.”

Rey’s eyes widened as her heart felt like it expanded with relief. “Where is he?”

“Outside.” Pointing at a door to the back of the garage. “That’ll take you around back to an alley. There shouldn’t be any stormtroopers there.”

Nodding, Rey looked at the kids. “You ready to run?”

The stormtroopers were drawing closer to the garage. They could hear their footsteps.

“Go!” Vi ordered as she began to run up a durasteel staircase to go outside to the roof of the garage. “Don’t worry, I’ll distract them. Stay under cover where you’ll be safe!”

A blast hit against the side of the roof as Vi vanished outside.

The children were visibly shaking and Rey tried her best to calm them down. She gathered them up close to her. “Hey,” she said quietly. “Vi needs us to leave, so we’re gonna help her, all right?”

Another blast rattled against the garage. Rey stood up and the children followed.

“Halt, Resistance scum.” They heard a stormtrooper above them as they left the building and entered another unfamiliar street. Rey glanced up quickly and realized that they hadn’t been spotted; the stormtrooper was talking to Vi.

Rey moved the kids away from the scene as quickly as she could. When the coast was clear, she moved them to the side and looked at them seriously. “You three need to get home,” she said. “I don’t want to put you in any more danger.”

The kids tried to put on a brave face.

“We can handle them,” the girl huffed.

With a smile, Rey took her hand. “I know you can, but this is something the adults need to do. Your families are probably worried about you.” 

Their faces fell. “Oh right, it’s getting late.” The boy in the pilot suit seemed to suddenly forget about all the excitement. “My dads will be mad if I don’t get home soon.”

They all seemed to decide it was for the best to go, which is what Rey really wanted. Children with parents that loved them should be at home, she thought. “Thanks for all your help,” she told them.

“Will you visit again?” the boy with the Wookiee doll asked.

She nodded. “I’m sure we’ll meet again someday.”

As the children scurried off, Rey felt a satisfaction within herself that they would now be safe. She gripped her quarterstaff in her hands and looked back to the garage. She hadn’t heard blasts go off for a few minutes, so maybe Vi was fine.

Just as she was about to go back to help, someone tapped her on the shoulder. Startled, Rey twisted around and pointed her quarterstaff at her offender, ready to strike.

“Woah!” Finn stared at her, wide-eyed and ready to duck. Next to him, Chewbacca held still.

Clutching at her chest, Rey breathed in deeply. “Oh, Finn, Chewie. I’m glad to see you.”

“You okay?” Finn asked, he looked concerned. “Where are those kids I saw you with?”

“They’re safe,” she assured him. “But Vi-"

Chewbacca placed a firm paw on her shoulder and growled that he would take care of it. Bowcaster in hand, he moved to go up the rail along the side of the garage. They heard more shots fired before a victorious roar from a Wookiee echoed down the street.

Moments later, Vi and Chewie returned. “Glad you could make it,” laughed Vi. “Was starting to think I would have all the fun myself.”

Nodding, Chewbacca growled something before looking and pointing at Finn and Rey. _"[The_ Falcon’s _ready.]"_

Finn almost looked disappointed. “I was hoping to spend more time with you here…”

Understanding the sentiment, Rey frowned. “I know. Me too.” Then she got an idea. “I might have to come back here with R2 sometime,” she began. “If you want to, I’ll bring you back and we’ll spend the day together… Hopefully without any excitement.” She grinned.

“That would be nice,” he agreed as the group began to walk back to the hangar.

A few moments into their walk, Rey looked over at Finn. "Where did you go off to? I was worried."

"That makes two of us," he replied. "I wandered around that market for hours!"

"I've got so much to tell you!"

"Maybe talk later, when we can't get spotted by stormtroopers?" Vi suggested, looking a little on edge.

The pair looked sheepish as they continued on the path back to Hondo's.

* * *

Arriving back at the hangar, the four friends almost breathed an auditory sigh of relief. The stormtroopers weren't likely to come here, and they were pretty sure they hadn't been followed or spotted.

At least, they were relieved until they saw the state of the _Millennium Falcon._

"What did you _do_ to her, Hondo!?"

"I thought you were just going to drop off merchandise!?"

_"RRWWWGG!"_

Chewbacca cornered the Weequay, who held his hands up as if in surrender. "Now, now, Chewbacca, it's not as bad as it looks."

Right as he said that, a panel fell off the side of the freighter, revealing wires sparking with electricity.

"Okay, it's worse."

Finn wanted to pull his hair, if it weren't for it still too short for him to do that. He watched Rey approach the _Falcon,_ taking in all the damage and trying not to inhale too much smoke in the process. She looked like she was about to cry. Parts of the hull were scratched, with bent metal and missing panels that revealed charred, damaged, or missing internal components. A small team of Hondo's crew was already working on repairs. The freighter wasn't in any shape to be used any time soon.

Hondo listed off all the damage. "Engine failure, hyper drive fuel leak..."

Chewbacca grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him. ["We need to leave!"] he told him.

"Relax, I've got the best repair crew in the Outer Rim! We'll have the _Falcon_ patched up in no time."

"If best means, _group of kids he just recruited off the streets,"_ Vi mumbled.

Rey was horrified. "I'm not going to let them screw this up!" she vowed, moving in to grab a wrench from a nearby tool kit. She went over to help the crew, giving orders and helping them understand the particularities of the freighter and how it worked. Chewbacca also joined in, knowing all the modifications even better than Rey.

"How long do you think you need?" Vi asked.

Rey wiped her brow, obviously overwhelmed. "If we just patch it together enough to get it off the ground and back to base, a few hours, provided Hondo has all the parts we need." She looked over at him pointedly.

"Of course we do!" said Hondo. "We wouldn't be the best transport company in the Outer Rim if we weren't always prepared!"

Vi rolled her eyes.

* * *

Just short of five hours later (Finn and Vi were growing anxious by then), Rey and Chewbacca had the Corellian Freighter patched up enough to make the journey back to the Resistance. The First Order hadn't come this way yet, but with all the commotion in the market, they were bound to turn up. Vi advised them to get away as quickly as they could. 

True to his word, Hondo's crew gathered up crates of cargo for the Resistance to take back with them. Supplies to treat injuries mainly, but there were a few weapons and... oddities.

"Wookiee Cookies?" Finn threw his hands up. "All that, for _Wookiee Cookies!?"_

Chewbacca growled in warning, satisfied with this turn of events. It certainly benefited him and made up a little for all that happened to his ship.

Vi laughed patting the Wookiee on the back. "We'll be sure to get you more, big guy."

Finn and Rey did one last check on the supplies together, wanting to make sure they weren't forgetting anything.

"I didn't bring much," said Rey, "but I got my credit stick and everything else I brought with me."

Looking through his bag, Finn agreed. "Yeah, not much here either."

Something in it caught her eye. "What's that?" She pointed.

He pulled out what she was looking at. "Oh, I almost forgot about these." Lifting a small felt doll out of his bag, he handed it to her before he dug around for the other one. "I found these in the market. Don't you think they kinda look like us?"

Holding the doll in her hands, Rey rotated it around slowly. "He looks like you when you still had your jacket," she mused. "He's cute."

"And this one?" Finn held up the other one. "I think she looks like you. Look, she even has the same outfit."

Rey would have to admit that the resemblance was uncanny. From the three hair buns down to the boots on her feet, the doll almost matched her in fashion and features. She wondered if the outfit she adopted back on Ahch-To was more common than she thought, but then, when she looked at the doll in her hands, it looked too much like Finn to be coincidental. Flight jackets with the same patterns and stripes were not that common of a sight. How could a toy maker create something that looked so much like them?

She had some explanations to answer this question, but each one creeped her out more than the last. It would probably be better to not think about it until she could come back to Batuu and meet this shop owner herself.

"I know you just bought them," she told Finn, "but can I hold on to this one for a while?"

He grinned. "So you _do_ see the resemblance."

Lightly, Rey pushed her shoulder against his. "Finn-doll is staying with me for now."

"Fine, and Rey-doll gets to stay with me."

Both of them laughed as they made the dolls headbutt each other.

* * *

After doing one last pre-flight check, Rey and Chewbacca deemed the _Millennium Falcon_ safe enough to fly. Everything was packed up and the Resistance sent a new set of coordinates for the team to meet them.

Rey and Finn stood outside the freighter one more time before they left. Sometimes, the thing they hated the most was goodbyes.

"Thanks for all your help, Vi." Rey began, reaching to shake her hand. Instead, Vi pulled her into a hug.

After she let her go, Vi did the same to Finn. "Any time you guys need some info, feel free to comm me. Maybe I'll see you on base soon."

"Be safe," Finn wished her.

She laughed. "Don't worry about me. First Order is more interested in you." Vi patted him on the back. "I'll see you around Finn."

Watching as Finn and Rey boarded the freighter, Hondo moved to stand beside Vi. They waved before the ramp closed and moved a little father away to give them room as they took off.

"We've got a lot to talk about," Vi warned him.

He looked at her, trying to feign obliviousness. "About what?"

She grinned at him. "Don't think I didn't see those weapons in the crates, old man. You got the Resistance more than just a few snacks."

Laughing, the owner of Ohnaka Transport Solutions waved again as the _Millennium Falcon_ began to lift off the ground. "I wouldn't expect I could hide that from a spy, but if you want to know if there's more from where that came from..."

"Oh," Vi said slyly. "I do."

* * *

Inside the _Falcon,_ Finn was busy making sure everything was still secure in the cargo area. He didn't think the crates would move around too much with how they tied them down before taking off, but it was of utmost importance that the Resistance get everything in one piece.

Content with the outcome of the task, he went back to the living space of the freighter. Rey was busy helping Chewbacca with the first leg of the flight until they could set the controls to autopilot. She'd be able to wander around in a few minutes.

The Finn doll sat neatly on the cushions of the booth in the center of the living area; Rey's bag and quarterstaff on the floor below it. She must have sat them down in haste to pilot. 

Finn smiled at the doll and pulled his own out of his bag, sitting the Rey doll next to its partner. Then, he went to find a way to make himself useful again.

  


**XIII. Bonus ending**

Stomping through the streets, Supreme Leader Kylo Ren was in a mood. 

His troops had found Rey and her friend, the traitor FN-2187, Han Solo's savage Wookiee partner, _and_ the Resistance spy, and they failed to capture any of them. He thought he had sensed the girl the day before, but he also believed he was just jumping to conclusions. Kylo was so eager to rid the galaxy of the last Jedi that his instincts were playing tricks on him.

No more. Those stormtroopers and their leader were sent straight to reconditioning, lest their presence anger the Supreme Leader further. This time, he brought his own troops with him.

He wandered the streets, searching through the faces struck with fear the moment they glanced him. Many tried to move away to the other side of the street, others ducked into alleys and shops. Those loyal to the First Order bowed politely to their superior.

"Halt." He raised his hand to stop his troops. Then he pointed at a man in the crowd.

The 'trooper to his left understood. "Yes sir!" He approached the man. "You must be important. Supreme Leader wants to see you."

Holding a datapad up to record the encounter, an obvious traveler stared blankly at the leader of the First Order. He approached Kylo, still recording.

"Who are you transmitting to?" Kylo demanded. "A Resistance spy?"

The man said nothing, prompting the stressed reactions of the stormtroopers.

"Oh no," said one.

"Extract the logs from that datapad," ordered Kylo, "then wipe the memory."

The traveler gave the Supreme Leader a dirty look.

"Yes sir," replied the stormtrooper. "I'll ask... _someone_ to do that." He didn't sound like he was sure who to go to.

That wasn't the answer Kylo wanted. "Wipe the device," he demanded, moving into the stormtrooper's space. "Or I'll wipe every thought from your head." 

The 'trooper was almost visibly shaken. "I'm sorry, sir. We will do that right away."

The other of Kylo's escorts grabbed the datapad away from the tourist and handed it to his partner. Tilting his head, slightly confused, the stormtrooper went through the settings of the device until he found a factory reset option and handed it back to the traveler.

"Hope _you_ have a good day," he said, exasperated.

Kylo continued his path through the crowd, searching, seething with anger. The next person to annoy him might just end up on the wrong end of his lightsaber. Everyone around seemed to sense this and tried to keep out of his direct path.

A tiny voice spoke up out of the crowd:

"Hi, Kylo Ren."

The Supreme Leader stalked through the street until he came upon a small girl and two boys staying close to her. Her stance, proud and strong for someone so small, told Kylo that she was the leader of her own band of friends. 

"Step aside," one of his guards commanded, but he held his hand up to stop them as he approached the children. 

The girl stared straight at him, along with the boy in the pilot's costume beside her. Their other friend, a boy who was far younger, stood behind them, obviously scared.

"Interesting," Kylo mused. "You are not afraid of me."

The pair stayed silent but stood tall as the man in black circled them.

"Such bravery. The First Order could always use the loyalty of those possessing such strength." He saw a flash of defiance in the girl's eyes. Anger, a flicker of rebellion. It reminded him so much of the scavenger girl when he first learned of the fire in her heart and the power flowing through her veins in the interrogation chamber. Knowing how to intimidate adults far larger than her, Kylo moved his face so it was directly above her.

"You champion a lost cause," he told her. "That must feel _so_ hopeless."

The child said nothing, but there was still that defiant look in her eyes, even as her friend's resolve was wavering. How he hated such disdain for authority. Children like this would be taught manners when the First Order had total control. Kylo's anger flared under his helmet.

"Move. Aside." 

He strode past them without looking back, walking into the area of the marketplace designated as a prime spot for First Order recruitment. When the gates around the troop lodgings was closed and no one outside could see, he ignited his lightsaber and struck against the stone of the old structure exterior.

Streaks of plasma and stone chipped away, lighting the darkened area in red. All the stormtroopers in the area backed away, knowing better than to fuel the wrath of the Supreme Leader when he didn't get his way.

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this fic the moment I saw "Galaxy's Edge" as the theme for an upcoming Finnrey Friday. I am planning to go visit Disneyland in January, so writing this was also a great planning experience for me. I really hope that I get to meet Vi, Rey, and Kylo when I'm there (hey Disney, can we get a Finn in there too?).


End file.
